Lewis Pugh

Lewis Pugh is the only person to have completed a long distance swim in every ocean of the world. In 2007 he became the first person to undertake a swim across the icy waters of the North Pole. To date he has pioneered more swims around famous landmarks than any other swimmer in history. Each of these seemingly impossible feats were done to raise awareness about the vulnerability of our oceans and their importance to humanity. And he won’t stop there. He continually redefines his own impossible, in the same way that any company must, in an ever- changing world.

Lewis’s speeches have received widespread acclaim. His speech on leadership at the BIF Conference in Rhode Island was voted as one of the “7 Most Inspiring Videos on the Web”. His speeches at TEDGlobal have been viewed by over 2.5 million people.

He has received a number of awards including France and South Africa’s highest honours and the Freedom of the City of London. In 2010, the World Economic Forum named him a Young Global Leader for his “potentialto contribute to shaping the future of the world through inspiring leadership.”

Lewis’s accomplishments have received extensive media coverage by the BBC, Good Morning America, CNN, Jon Stewart, National Geographic, Sky News, Al Jazeera, Jay Leno and many more. His autobiography “Achieving the Impossible” is a Bestseller and was chosen for Oprah’s Exclusive Book List.

Lewis Pugh is one of the world’s leading inspirational speakers. He has addressed and influenced many international organisations. Coca Cola chose Lewis to address their world-wide leadership team on their 125th anniversary. When Unilever wanted to double the size of their business and half their environmental footprint, they chose Lewis to speak to their management team. And when Microsoft needed to become more customer-centric, they picked Lewis to speak to them about the “Radical Tactical Shift” that enabled him to complete the first swim across a glacial lake on Mt Everest.

As a maritime lawyer, an ocean advocate and a pioneer swimmer, Lewis puts his hard learned lessons into the context of a corporate environment. His message is highly relevant, inspirational and, most importantly, actionable towards achieving your own impossible.

Your address was the perfect close to a conference centred around achievement and moving to the next level. The story you have to tell is incredibly unique and was delivered in such a professional and entertaining manner. Everyone was inspired by your extraordinary journey.~ Colin Grassie | CEO | Deutsche Bank (UK)

Thank you for coming to speak to us. You have a very special gift. Not many people can speak to a group of world leaders like you did – with so much authority and passion. I could have heard a pin drop.~ Ted Turner | Founder of CNN

Lewis Pugh gave the perfect TED talk: a little bit of action, some thinking outside the box, humbling words on the need to respect nature, a happy ending. A Hollywood scriptwriter could not have structured it better.~ The Financial Times

I cannot thank you enough for your speech at our Leadership Conference. It was absolutely remarkable and your message was a moving and emotional experience. The incredible scale of endeavour, the meticulous preparation, and the emotional magnitude, came through so crisply. Not only are your achievements so incredible and inspiring, but your ability to put them across in such a special way will no doubt have a lasting impact on our leadership team.~ Adrian Gore | CEO | Discovery Holdings

Lewis Pugh doesn’t tell us what to do – he shows us what can be done.~ Bill Clinton | 42nd President of the United States of America